Many of the enlisted soldiers were experienced railroad men who performed essentially the same jobs in the Army as they did in their civilian professions. This entry was posted on 4:40 PM The company had two platoons, one for bridge and building maintenance and one to maintain track. The 727th Railway Operating Battalion in World War II. One former member of the battalion did not have railroad experience. Includes unit rosters. There were no requirements for railway units in the Pacific Theater until the Allies reached the Philippine Islands in late 1944. Championship golf -- 243rd Engineer Haul Team; 291st Army Liaison Team. In September, the company deployed to Scotland where it operated the Melbourne Military Railway and provided switching service to depots being established by American forces. Brig. copy In July 1942, the MRS organized the 761st Transportation Company at Camp Shelby, Mississippi, with men taken from the 713th, 727th, and 730th Railway Operating Battalions. By June 1944, when Allied forces landed at Normandy, the MRS had two grand divisions, three operating battalions, and four shop battalions in England. The 716th ROB lands in France. 12:29 PM | Labels: 729th Railway Operating Battalion, Railway Operating Battalion, reunions | This entry was posted on 12:29 PM and is filed under 729th Railway Operating Battalion, Railway Operating Battalion, reunions. This page is to remember all those brave men who were with the 770th R.O.B. By June 1944, when Allied forces landed at Normandy, the MRS had two grand divisions, three operating battalions, and four shop battalions in England. General Jacob Devers, commanding the army group, commended MRS troops when he wrote: “I want to send my congratulations to you and your splendid achievement in opening and maintaining the railroad system in southern France since the invasion of our forces.”. In December, two railway operating battalions deployed to theaters overseas. When conducting rail operations in friendly areas or occupied territory, the battalion used local civilian technical and skilled railway employees to augment its capabilities, but they had to be supervised by military personnel to safeguard against possible sabotage. 749th Railway Operating Battalion - Free download as Word Doc (.doc), PDF File (.pdf), Text File (.txt) or read online for free. The battalion moved to Camp Claiborne, Louisiana, in August 1941, where it began work on a training facility for railway operating battalions as they were called to active duty. Each company had a unique organization with specific capabilities corresponding to the organization of a civilian railroad division. In addition to Europe and North Africa, MRS units operated railroads in India, Burma, and the Philippine Islands. OCLC Number: 317716908 The telegraph and telephone line used to dispatch trains was erected by the 26th Signal Construction Battalion. 729th Brigade Support Company (-) 104th Medical. WWII plaque from the 729th Railway Operating Battalion reunion held in South Bend, Indiana in 1985. On 2 July, the 729th Railway Operating Battalion arrived in Normandy and took over operations at the Cherbourg terminals. Battle stars -- ⦠4:40 PM During the time the MRS operated the Iranian State Railway, it handled more than four million long tons of freight. Plaque is about 7" tall. The battalion commander, a lieutenant colonel, was equivalent to a division superintendent in a commercial railroad. By July 1944, all of the MRS troops that had been in North Africa were in Italy operating 2,478 miles of railway with an average of 250 military trains a day in addition to civilian passenger and freight service. If you are a collector or memorabilia dealer PLEASE share copies or scans of items BEFORE you sell these priceless materials to private collectors . The MRS deployed five operating and two shop battalions to keep the required supplies moving. To make the training more realistic, the twenty-five bridges along the line were periodically blown up so maintenance teams from the battalions in training could rebuild them. The division also maintained and operated the locomotives and cars. Both organizations relied heavily on experienced railroad executives and engineers who were commissioned as volunteer officers and worked under the supervision of the Quartermaster General of the Union Army, Major General Montgomery C. Meigs. Helpful . Club Soxo -- In addition to the freight, special passenger trains carried 16,000 Iranian military personnel, 14,000 Polish war refugees, 40,000 British troops, and 15,000 Russian ex-prisoners of war. At its peak, it included eleven grand divisions, thirty-three railway operating battalions, and eleven railway shop battalions. Read more. By May, the 701st was in Casablanca where it coordinated the work of three railway operating battalions, the 715th (Illinois Central Railroad), 719th (Texas and New Orleans Railroad Company), and 759th (Missouri Pacific Railroad). 729th Railway Operating Battalion, Trains were operated by British, French, and American crews assisted by Arab civilians. From January through September 1944, an average of 136,567 tons of freight a month moved out of Naples by rail. Go to the text-only view of this item. Not only did the battalion organization reflect the civilian railroad division, the table of organization correlated military positions to their civilian counterparts. Army. A unique aspect of railroading in India was the use of elephants to switch cars when locomotives were not available. The division, along with five railway operating battalions, the 721st (New York Central Railroad), 725th (Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad Company), 726th (Wabash Railroad Company), 745th (Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad), and 748th (Texas and Pacific Railway company) all sailed from Los Angeles aboard the SS Mariposa in December 1943. Between February 1944 and September 1945, the MRS moved 6,217,143 tons of freight and operated 5,559 passenger trains. The railroad was in terrible condition due to lack of maintenance, American bombing, and Japanese destruction. I try to buy items when they becomes available, but I do not have unlimited funds - consider making a donation to help this archive! Using a Jeep equipped with flanged wheels, the detachment surveyed the lines from the landing area to the port of Cherbourg. The last MRS unit, the 716th Railway Operating Battalion (Southern Pacific Company) left Europe in February 1946. ABMC honors the services of overseas U.S. Armed Forces by maintaining and promoting America's overseas commemorative cemeteries and ⦠As in Italy, railroads and yards were prime targets for Allied bombers in the months before the landings in Normandy, France. During World War II the service operated and maintained railroads in Europe, North Africa, Asia, and the Pacific that totaled more than 22,000 miles. Company A repaired and maintained track and associated equipment such as switches, bridges, water tanks, signal equipment, and buildings. 728TH RAILWAY OPERATING BATTALION. The 711th was joined by the 730th Railway Operating Battalion (Pennsylvania Railroad) and two shop battalions, the 754th (Southern Pacific Company) and 762d (American Locomotive Company, Baldwin Locomotive Company, Electro-Motive Corporation) Railway Shop Battalions. By implementing American techniques, the tonnage carried by the Bengal and Assam Railway increased forty-six percent in the first twenty-six days after the MRS took over. At its peak the MRS operated 1,905 miles of railway in North Africa. In October, the MRS operated 1,897 trains hauling 640,561 tons of freight in support of the Sixth Army Group. The C&P included rail yards at each end of the line and engine-house facilities at Camp Claiborne. As the war effort increased, the War Department activated additional railway units including grand divisions to coordinate operations in overseas theaters of operations and shop battalions to support the operating battalions. 183 likes. When the Americans and British began planning for an invasion of North Africa, logisticians estimated that it would require thirty-four trains a day to move 5,000 tons a month from the ports of debarkation at Casablanca, Oran, and Algiers to keep Allied forces supplied. Notes: Cover title. The run was made without incident. After passing a physical examination, they were commissioned as Reserve officers in the Army and assigned to appropriate positions in the battalion sponsored by the railroad to provide a cadre of professional railroad men. Three days later, the 757th Railway Shop Battalion (Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad) went to work at Cherbourg. ⦠The first train on the line ran on 19 January for a distance of about thirty miles. The first railway operating battalion to arrive in England was the 729th (New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad Company) in July 1943. Plaque is about 7" tall. Several mobile railway workshops deployed to Luzon in March, and in April, two operating battalions, the 737th (New York Central) and the 749th (New York, New Haven, and Hartford Railroad Company) arrived to operate sections of the Luzon Military Railway. Company C roster -- This sheds a lot of light on their accomplishments and what it took to get the job done. A grand division typically included three or four operating battalions, a shop battalion, and a base depot company. He was a conductor for Pennsylvania Railroad and Conrail for 42 years. Grand divisions, operating battalions, and shop battalions continued to deploy to both northern and southern France to support the Allied forces rolling into Germany. Lieutenant General George S. Patton, Jr. later wrote that the battalion “organized national rail workers, located equipment, had steam up, and made a reconnaissance of the rail lines four hours after landing.” In its first twenty-four hours of operations, the 727th moved 400 tons of supplies forward to the 3d Infantry Division. In July 1861, Confederate Brigadier General Joseph E. Johnston dramatically demonstrated the importance of railroads in modern warfare when he moved 12,000 troops by rail from Piedmont Station (now Delaplane), Virginia, to Manassas Junction, a distance of about fifty miles, to reinforce the Confederate forces assembled southwest of Washington, DC. Professional railroaders commissioned as lieutenant colonels served as the regimental executive officer. Three days after the first Allied troops entered Naples, the advance party of the 703d Railway Grand Division (Atlantic Coast Railroad Company) reached the port only to find that the combination of Allied bombing and German demolition had left the rail yard in shambles. He graduated from South Side High School in 1939, and served in World War II with the Army's 729th Railway Operating Battalion. Subscribe to 729th Railway Operating Battalion Footer menu. A. Vargas ... et. and is filed under Nice WWII item from a fairly obscure U.S. Army unit. Out of a collect The National Museum of the United States Army Opening Ceremony. Unit History In May 1945, when the war in Europe ended, the MRS included seven grand divisions, twenty-four operating battalions, seven shop battalions, and a variety of depot and maintenance units as well as eight battalions and two separate companies of military police. The distinctive unit insignia was originally approved for the 729th Transportation Railway Operating Battalion on 8 February 1952. Other Titles: Seven Hundred Twenty-Ninth Railway Operating Battalion : 2-1/2 years in Europe, 1943-1945 The last American soldier railroaders left Iran in July 1945. Rolling stock included nine oil burning locomotives and almost 100 cars, including coaches, gondolas, boxcars, flatcars, refrigerator cars, and cabooses. After a brief training period in St. Paul monitoring troop trains and studying car records and other documents in the Twin City terminals, the headquarters traveled by train to New York where it boarded the USS Orizaba as part of the Allied forces bound for North Africa. US Army, Mil Hist Institute Two of the most experienced operating battalions, the 713th and 727th, deployed to Marseilles and began operations at the end of August. The new unit took over a 221-mile stretch of mountainous country, leaving the 711th with 258 miles and the 730th with 198, still more than the doctrinal guidelines. 770th Railroad Operating Battalion Remembered. In April 1943, the unit was redesignated as the 770th Railway Operating Batallion. The same procedure was followed for other specialties in the battalion with soldiers working alongside their civilian counterparts to learn the basics of railroading. Work began using rented earthmoving equipment operated by soldiers in the 711th until Army equipment became available. Railroad Operating Battalion, 729th. We were established in 1983 as a member-based, charitable 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Between 1 June and 31 December, they operated a total of 7,410 trains with 48,131 cars. Headquarters Company report -- The first railway operating battalion, the 727th, arrived in Africa in December 1942. On 15 August, the Allies landed in southern France. For example, an Army train crew would accompany a train manned by civilians to learn operating rules and railroad techniques. You can leave a response, Two years of bombing raids had destroyed railroad facilities and twisted tracks into extraordinary shapes. Company C report -- Company A roster -- Author: J A Vargas; United States. The 720th Railway Operating Battalion (Chicago and North Western Railway) arrived in France on 15 July and began to rehabilitate and operate approximately sixty-two miles of track between Bayeux and Lisieux. Our funding helps to acquire and conserve Army historical art and artifacts, support Army history educational programs, research, and publication of historical materials on the American Soldier, and provide support and counsel to private and governmental organizations committed to the same goals. Prepared under the auspices of the 729th Railroad Operating Battalion? Railroading in North Africa proved to be a challenge. As new battalions arrived, the ones already on the continent moved forward behind the advancing armies. In January 1943, the 701st Railway Grand Division, sponsored by the New York Central Railroad, was activated at Fort Snelling, Minnesota. Richard Burns. 12 OCTOBER-DECEMBER 1999 By necessity, the ranks of ROBs were usually filled by railroad personnel. On 2 July, the 729th Railway Operating Battalion arrived in Normandy and took over operations at the Cherbourg terminals. . Soon more and more operating battalions and grand divisions followed and were setting up operations all over newly liberated Northern France and Brittany . List of ribbons are on the reverse. The only other changes to the end of January were the opening up of the branch out of Angleur south to Trois-Ponts on 17 January, and resumption of service on the Malmedy line to Sart-lez-Spa on 25 January. Army, Railway Operating Battalion, Railway Shop Battalion, Transportation Group (Railway), Transportation Battalion (Railway Operating), 729th Railway Operating Battalion Use PayPal link above ! The amount of unsung work these guys did is largely unknown today. OCS news -- Its next assignment was a bit more challenging. You can leave a response, Army. (2) Railway Operating Battalions (ROBs), first organized in 1941, were the smallest (800 men) active units of the U.S. Army Military Railway Service (MRS) in WWII. This Auction is for one 729th MP Battalion Military Police DI Crest DUI Insignia clutch back Wellington Japan maker. A variety of engineer, signal, and military police units provided support to the railroaders. In India, each of the five operating battalions managed an average of 133 miles of railway. Company A report -- For those traveling to Kohima for the 75th Anniversary event, have a safe journey, and carry our best wishes from those of us thinking of those brave men and women so many years ago. The 713th trained on the Santa Fe line near Clovis, New Mexico, while the 727th went to Camp Shelby, Mississippi, to train on the Southern Railroad between Meridian, Mississippi, and New Orleans, Louisiana. Labels: They also supported British and the American forces fighting the Japanese in Burma. Great pictures, good narrative. Reprint. al]. After thirty-one days at sea they arrived at Bombay, India, in January 1944 to begin operation of sections of the Bengal and Assam Railway. The commander of the 2nd Military Railway Service, Brigadier General Clarence L. Burpee, arrived in Normandy on 17 June, and by the end of July the 707th Railway Grand Division had the 720th, 728th and 729th Railway Operating Battalions and the 757th Shop Battalion operational. In its first thirty days of operation, 273,141 tons of freight moved east across the bridge while another 403,656 tons and 309,000 displaced persons moved west. MRS troops supporting the operation came from Italy. Railroad Operating Battalion, 729th. Buzz bombs and rockets in Antwerp -- T-4 Robert Schultz said, âI was a fireman on an iron ore boat on the Great Lakes when I was drafted. Civilian railroad division, the unit was redesignated as the regimental executive.. 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